'Adventures of Caveman Robot': Superheroics With a Neanderthal Twist

By George Hunka

April 15, 2006

American movies have long received a shot in the arm from comic books. From "Spider-Man" to "V for Vendetta," they have gotten a jolt of energy from not only the characters of comics but also from their dark imaginings. Is it possible that the same inspiration will fire a new energy in the American theater?

My crystal ball says no, not if Jeff Lewonczyk and Debby Schwartz's "Adventures of Caveman Robot: The Musical" -- jointly produced by The Brick and Piper McKenzie Productions -- is any indication. A frenetic, disappointing musical with doggerel lyrics set to tuneless music, Mr. Lewonczyk and Ms. Schwartz's work strives to deliver a winking, knowing valentine to the genre, somewhere between homage and parody, and ends up a very loud and long (more than two and a half hours) mess.

The complicated but dopey plot has something to do with Caveman Robot, a mechanical superhero "with the ancient sense of primeval man driving him," according to the program, who expresses himself in monosyllables and grunts (and prayers to Oolar, a shamanistic goddess). Mr. Robot, to use an honorific he doesn't really deserve -- it's hard to say just what he does that makes him the good guy -- finds himself the target of an evil supergenius named Dr. Zarathustra and a bunch of malcontents, including two decidedly mad scientists. Mr. Robot's friends include a scientist and his niece, who seems to have a fetish for organic-metal compounds.

The cast is energetic and game, with Ian W. Hill and Devon Hawks Ludlow much more than that, though some of its musical abilities are theoretical at best. As for the physical production, the wizardry of the video presentations meshes uneasily with the more slapdash live-action production values. It's unclear whether this is intentional or even relevant. Whatever the case, Oolar save us all from other shows like this.